


Aerial Alternatives

by Blipper



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-18 09:40:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15482928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blipper/pseuds/Blipper
Summary: A late entry for the /ztg/ transport TT.Enjoy.





	Aerial Alternatives

It was never unusual for the weather in Rainforest to change but it there always was the occasional outlier. A storm this large was unprecedented, environmental control had evidently screwed up again. It really wasn't flying weather, flapping about in the rain never really got a bat anywhere. I'm hopeful that the transport system will be working with all the downpour. The buses will be filled with drenched mammals, as will the trains, I'm just too used to flying. There must be some way of getting there, though. I suddenly realise, there's an air taxi operating today. I wouldn't say that air taxis are better than flying but it's the closest I can get in this weather. 

I throw on a raincoat (tailored for wings) and grab my purse. The air taxis are technically public transport, not an independent service, so they have a regular schedule of every half hour. The nearest landing platform is only a five minute walk, or a short flap, in my case. Clouds hiding just beyond the canopy greet me with splashes of rain as I step outside. I meander around some rather large puddles where the drainpipes have been clogged up before deftly leaping over the garden wall and hurrying away.

All the rain means that most mammals have stayed indoors, I find it charming, though but I guess others think to the contrary. I dance over some more puddles as I make my way down the street, the canopy above does a reasonably good job of stopping the rain but the occasional shower still escapes down to the pavement. Rumbling thunder in the distance gets me to pick up the pace, I'd rather stay as dry as possible. My phone goes off, it's Mitch. 

"Hey Anya, you OK?" his voice sounds tired and weary.

"Yeah, you alright, though?"

"Loads of places on the lower areas near the canals are flooding, I'm bucketing water out of a friend's apartment."

"Shit, hope it clears up soon."

"Weather control put out a statement like two hours ago, we should be clear by tomorrow," Mitch pauses briefly, I hear him wading through some water, "sorry Anya, I have to go." he hurriedly hangs up after some splashing sounds. 

Having left Mitch to fight the rising tides with his friend, I arrive at the taxi station. There's already an air taxi there, along with a small queue. The taxis are actually repurposed drones... that's slightly off-putting now that I think about it, I don't have the best kind of relationship with drones after a few delivery related incidents. The taxis have an actual pilot, so it's far less of an issue. A ticket machine stands unoccupied, even better is that there's an overhead shelter. I scurry out of the rain and immediately begin punching in my destination and then cramming in some bills. Picking up my ticket, I saunter over to the taxi and hop on.

The taxi seats a dozen small mammals, there's only eight riding today. I take a seat near the front window. A sharp ping comes from my phone, guess who?

 

"Things still OK, Mitch?"

"Kind of, we stopped the apartment from flooding but there's so much mess, man."

"Sounds rough," I sigh, "we should go for a burga or something when this is done." 

"I can taste it already but I need to go again, cleaning up this place is a bitch."

We say our farewells and then hang up, the air taxi has already rumbled into life and begun taking off, I hadn't even noticed. This feels weird compared to natural flight, It's more like being in a car... that flies. As the taxi passes through the canopy I get a full view of the storm. It's far from contained to the Rainforest; you can see the downpour stretching all the way to Sahara. Something evidently must be off if the storm is over there. 

I find myself staring out into the skies but something seems off. I know the weather control is screwed up but that doesn't usually result in tilted clouds. My instincts tell me that there's something really wrong about this, a possum sitting behind me spots our dire problem. 

"Holy shit!" he exclaims, "that engine ain't workin'" 

A thin air or panic creeps into the taxi, not enough to spark hysteria but the kind that leaves mammals trembling, nervously glancing at each other. Two small speakers crackle and sputter, "OK folks, err - engine two is out so we'll be making an emergency landing as soon as possible." The poor guy must be terrified. Come to think of it, this isn't really that unnerving for me. I've been injured while flying before but I can easily make a safe landing from that besides, only my life is at risk, not eight others. Murmurs creep around the cabin, they grow louder as the taxi makes a slight dip.

"You think he'll land us safely?" The possum behind me leans in.

"Hopefully, though I don't think he'll have too much trouble getting us touched down."

The taxi descends steadily, the three remaining rotors straining their hardest. We've just entered the canals, which is probably going to be our next stop given the altitude of the taxi. The speakers blare into life again, "OK uh, everyone buckle up, we're coming in to land at another station, our landing should be clear." 

I grip my seat nervously, as do the other passengers. The taxi takes a sharp dive and then pulls up, we're nearly at ground level and our destination is looking to be a small landing pad. Something clips the bottom of the vehicle and we tilt and sprawl off course. Before I know it, we've crashed (albeit at a low speed) into a section of pavement. I tumble onto the floor but none of the other passengers seem to have been thrown about much. The taxi is leaning on its side though. Something darts down and grasps the entire taxi, hauling it up and placing it onto the landing pad we missed. Now that we're upright, I steal a glance out of the window. Our sudden helper is a young wolf pup.

"You guys awight?" He booms with curiosity. "The flyers bwoken," he points to the taxi.

The pilot pulls open the doors and hops out, "Thanks kid."

A distant voice calls out for the pup, he speeds off after saying goodbye. As some small emergency vehicles pull up, the pilot turn to the rest of us.

"So will you be flying with us again?"


End file.
